Traits of a Ruler
by GRINtelligencer
Summary: Lykouleon was taught by his father to be the ruler he is now, there were many lessons because a ruler must be many things. Strong, Patient, Fair, and Dedicated to name a few. Lykouleon centric.


**Traits of a Ruler**

Dane Soar

**Rating:** K+

Summery: Lykouleon was taught by his father to be the ruler he is now, there were many lessons because a ruler must be many things. Strong, Patient, Fair, and Dedicated to name a few. 

**Characters/Pairings: **Young Lykouleon, Young Ruwalk, Young Nadil (only in passing)

**Comments:** Was part of a drabble series I'm working, but it got too long. Strange format here, though interesting, young Lykouleon is a new idea I like.

The father, the Black Dragon Officer (the one before Tetheus) Greshe, the Yellow Dragon Officer (one before Ruwalk) were done mostly by guesswork; as was the young Ruwalk and I hope they are acceptable.

**Spoilers: **None really

**Focus: **Counting backwards, lessons taught

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**10) Strong**

"Be strong, Lykouleon," was the last thing Lykouleon remembered his father ever saying, quite literally on his deathbed. His father's face had been as pale as his sheets, dotted with sweat and lined from the thousands of years of his rule. He hadn't looked strong. He had just looked tired and worn.

The young Lykouleon, only a bit into adolescence at the time, had held his father's hand as he slowly passed away, wondering all the time who would do it for him when his rule came into an end years from now.

**9) Patient**

"Patience, Lykouleon," His father chastised him quietly.

The young heir to the Dragon Throne fidgeted where he stood next to his father, watching the new recruits of the Dragon Fighters marching by. "Why?" he whispered back, tired of standing still when the day was so fine. "Why do I have to stay here when Ruwalk could go out hunting with Fanil?"

The Black Dragon Officer barked out a command and the newest recruits, about faced with various interesting results.

There was the faintest smile in his father's eyes as he watched the still green soldiers bump into each other. "Because Fanil is the Yellow Officer and he wants Ruwalk for his replacement when the time comes. You have you own duties to attend to and well you know it. Stay still, now, and watch the marching. Keep your serine monarch-to-be face on."

The Black Dragon Officer, Greshe, who had a voice like a drill-sergeant, roared at the Fighters, going an interesting red-pink in the face from temper.

"But I'd rather be out there than in here," said Lykouleon regretfully, he fidgeted some more.

His father raised an eyebrow at him and he stopped. "These Fighters will at some point have to fight or die for us one day. Wouldn't it be nice if we in turn let them know the faces who lead the kingdom they now serve."

Apologetic Lykouleon clasped his hands to keep them still.

"You see, though it's tedious to us, for them," his father nodded ever so slightly toward the Fighters as Greshe's face turned purple in rage as he bellowed at them. "to them it's a important day. We can afford to give some of our time, and wait here, for them. Remember that Lykouleon."

"Yes father."

**8) Loyal**

"You must remain loyal to all those who look up to you, Lykouleon, never disappoint them, of fail one of them." his father told him, many a time.

A few days later a rouge demon, who while of no great intelligence was very violent, attacked his friend Ruwalk when they were out for a ride one day. In the end it was Ruwalk who had ended up slaying the beast, having landed better than Lykouleon when their Darnas bolted, but it bit him in the side as it went down.

And when Ruwalk collapsed Lykouleon was right at his side to turn him over.

"I think its teeth were poisoned, old buddy." Ruwalk hissed in pain. "Get out of here, there might be more around."

"Not without you."

Lykouleon dragged his unconscious friend all the way back to the Castle, and was lucky enough there was a doctor who was able to deal with the poison in attendance.

"You did well, son," His father told him afterwards. "the most sensible thing was to get out of there and to bring help back, but Ruwalk could have died. What you did was not the smartest; but it saved a life, and that's what mattered."

**7) Dedicated**

"A Dragon Lord must be dedicated, Lykouleon," his father told him, when he found him up in a tree, shirking his studies again. "he must be resolute and always commit himself completely to what he does."

"But grain prices in Chantel and fish prices in Luwa, when will I ever need to know that? Besides, there dull."

The Dragon Lord shook his head. "What if there is a famine in Chantel and they need supplementary food from Luwa? How would you know how much to buy from Luwa so Chantel will not be in a debt they can not pay off in a few years?"

His son scowled down at him. "Why would I be figuring that out, I'd make my Officers do it!"

"But they would have quite enough of their own work to do, more often than not too much to handle any more. You wouldn't be so cruel as to force more work on them?"

"Oh…well…" Lykouleon sighed, then climbed down out of the tree. "I suppose your right, father."

His father laughed at him. "I try to be, I can not afford to make mistakes."

**6) Humble**

"Being humble, Lykouleon, is sometime better than being right." His father told him as he sat beside him in the garden.

He had just had a nasty fight with his best friend, Ruwalk, and they had both stormed off in different direction, furious.

"You should have heard him, father!" the young Lykouleon protested. "He was wrong and he knew it!"

"I think all of Dusis heard the two of you arguing, you both were shouting so loud. That is no way for two respectable young men to act, especially the heir to the Dragon Throne and the Yellow Officer in training!"

He let him think about it for a few minutes in silence, then went on. "Now, don't you think your friendship is more important who was right? Perhaps you should apologize to him?"

"But Ruwalk is just-"

His father cut him off. "It doesn't matter who he is or who you are. Just because you are any better than him. Never start thinking that Lykouleon, or it will be your downfall."

He watched his son's shoulders slump and took pity. "But maybe you could make it a little better by finding Ruwalk and apologizing."

Lykouleon was gone to find him before he even finished the sentence.

**5) Wise**

"A Dragon Lord who is wise will rule well, Lykouleon." His father told him.

He took those words to heart and became a frequent visitor to the library. The librarian came to know him by name, and always had a book to recommend to him when he came.

Lykouleon for his part spent a good amount of the time he would have before have spent causing mayhem with Ruwalk reading. He came to love it almost as much as he loved his father, and went through a large section of the library in search off the next good book.

Knowledge was an extremely useful thing, he would discover later on in life.

**4) Kind and Compassionate**

"By being both kind and compassionate, Lykouleon, you will become a great lord," his father told him, and he knew that, like in many things, this piece of advice would help him later on. That was the way that his father was.

Quite often Lykouleon, when Ruwalk was called by duty to be somewhere else, he would loiter up on the balcony, listening to his father's rulings.

The Dragon Lord was wise and strong, a mighty warrior in his own right, his father was still a kind man. When it was not beyond reason, he always tried to rule in the favor of helping his people.

When the time came, Lykouleon hoped, secretly at least, that he could be half as good a ruler that his father was. That way he could protect his people and keep them safe. There wasn't much more a good Dragon Lord would do.

**3) Fair**

"Be fair, Lykouleon," said his father to him. "I'm sure that not all of the Demon Clan are evil."

"Why?" He asked simply, knowing his father would explain to him. They were in the great library at one of the tables for reading at. "How would you know that?"

"Well, Lykouleon, when we think of a country, for some reason we have the problem of only identifying them as the ones we know. Take for example, the diplomat the at Demon Clan sent, I know that you don't like her-"

"She said she wanted to eat me!" protested Lykouleon. "I feel that is a perfect reason not to like her."

"But that aside from that, the only other demon you know is Nadil, the Wind Knight. And I know you don't like him either-"

"Nadil beat Ruwalk to a pulp for playing a prank on him, and Ruwalk is barely half his size!"

"Yes I know about that, remember that Nadil was given a punishment for his misdeed, but we are getting away from our point. Now I imagine that this would make you have a very negative opinion toward their Clan. However, what you must remember is that a few individuals are not the whole Clan. There are always innocents and those who are just trying to survive, caring nothing for the politics of their land to think of. They are the ones that inevitably end up getting hurt."

"So you're saying that I shouldn't hate a species or Clan just because I don't like some of them?"

His father smiled at him. "Exactly."

**2) Generous **

"Be generous, Lykouleon," said his father, in the tone that he would soon be able to tell marked a lesson.

He always had to remember that he had things that most people in the kingdom didn't have, or would never have. Because of this, he would have to always try to give back to the people, let them have what they needed so they could both survive and prosper.

But it was a hard line to tread. Lykouleon read past histories of Dragon Lords who were _too_ generous and had almost bankrupted their kingdoms. Or ones that had hoarded all their recourses so much that the people suffered.

Neither was something he wanted for his reign. The lesson was a good one to learn, but to take with temperance.

**1) Caring**

The very first lesson his father taught him was the most important one. Lykouleon was very young at the time; barely old enough to be learning the responsibilities of the post he would take up.

He and his father had stood up on one of the tallest towers of the Castle that gave a clear view of Dragoon. Together they watched all the people, barely the size of ants, as they scurried around in the streets going about their everyday lives.

"See how happy they are?" his father had said. "How carefree? Many of them don't have a care in the world, just as long as things stay the way they are. You see Lykouleon, these are the people you must care for, these are your people. Protecting them is what you must live for. I trust you will not find that hard."

Lykouleon looked at the folk far below. "No father," he said. "I don't think so."

**END**

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